ONE WIN SHY OF STATE: Friendswood tops Huntsville, 3-1

Published 11:36 am, Friday, April 8, 2011

HUMBLE -- Laura Peter was all geared up for her team to drive the nail in the coffin early in the second half of Friendswood’s Class 4A regional semifinal soccer matchup Friday with Huntsville.

Although that’s exactly what the Lady Mustangs did in their 3-1 triumph, the Friendswood head coach hoped it would come much sooner than with 2:50 left in the match when freshman Rachel Truong drove home the insurance goal.

“That was our game plan, but it didn’t exactly go that way,” Peter said. “We just didn’t play as well with the wind at our back in the second half.

“We talked at halftime about connecting with passes. They were running the trap, and we got caught a few times in the first half.”

Nevertheless, Friendswood (25-4-2) emerged victorious and will take on unbeatenWaco Midway (22-0-5) for the Region III-5A championship at 11 a.m. Saturday at Turner Stadium.

Meghan Vickery and Bridget Richie each scored first-half goals for Friendswood in opening what seemed to be a comfortable lead.

Vickery scored at the 27:34 mark of the first half, nudging the ball into the goal off a corner kick. Richie scored just nine minutes later with a direct shot from in front for the 2-0 lead.

Friendswood took that momentum into halftime, and was the beneficiary of a strong wind in the second half. However, the Lady Mustangs’ scoring opportunities were few and far between in the closing 40 minutes.

“We were a little bit worn out,” Vickery said. “We need to be in better shape. But it was good to get an early goal. That gave us a spark to play better.

“Against Midway, we have to calm down, pass the ball better and not get frustrated with ourselves. No matter how hard they come at us, we have to stay positive on the field and never give up. We have to be poised.”

Huntsville (19-6-3), which was the third-place finisher from District 39-4A, appeared to be a team on the ropes in the first half. Friendswood had numerous opportunities to open a three- or four-goal lead in the first half, but couldn’t convert.

The Lady Hornets then capitalized on one of their few chances in the second half, cutting the Lady Mustangs’ lead to 2-1 on Bria Roberts’ goal just five minutes into the second half.

That seemed to be the wake-up call Friendswood needed. The Lady Mustangs began attacking better afterward, and had five shots on goal in the final 20 minutes.

Sheena Mohebalian hit the post from the side, and teammate Landry Lowe was on target from long-range just two minutes apart. Richie and Truong both had shots stopped on goal, before Truong delivered the knockout punch with just less than three minutes remaining.

“I felt like we probably should have kept the ball on the ground a little more, but the girls played well,” Peter said. “The heat got to us after watching that morning game, and that took a little out of us, I think.

“The Midway game will be tough. We’ll have to mark No. 24 (forward Aleah Davis) and generate an attack. They make great plays off the corner kicks so we’ll have be ready for those.”